Draft regulator construction



June 27, 1961 w. F. STEINEN DRAFT REGULATOR CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 20, 1956 WILLIAM F. STEINEN ATTORNEY June 27, 1961 w. F. STEINEN DRAFT REGULATOR CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed. D60. 20, 1956 F/G. 5 INVENTOR.

WILLIAM F. STEINEN ATTORNEY 2,990,118 DRAFT REGULATOR CONSTRUCTION William F. Steinen, William Steinen Mfg. Co., 43 Bruen St., Short Hills, NJ. Filed Dec. 20, 1956, Ser. No. 629,653 4 Claims. (Cl. 236-45) The present invention relates to a draft regulator which will be durable and reliable in its construction and operation.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a balancing and hinge construction for draft regulators which will readily enable balancing thereof when installed and at the same time will assure long continued operation thereof with a minimum of derangement and with self-cleaning features.

Another object is to provide a draft regulator ar rangement which will be readily regulated at the place of use to correct for draft variations and to enable satisfactory adjustment of a predetermined range and the hinge structure of which will be so arranged as to function effectively without increasing the friction even though the device be utilized over long periods of time in positions or places where soot or grime will collect in relatively large quantities on or around the draft regulator structure and in the hinge and support structure thereof.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel hinge and draft adjustment for draft regulator structures in which the hinge structure, as well as the adjustment structure, is particularly designed to accommodate relative large sizes and relatively heavy weights without derangement or maladjustment due to variation in thickness of metal parts or finishes applied thereto.

Still further objects and advantages will appear in the more detailed description set forth below, it being understood, however, that this more detailed description is given by way of illustration and explanation only and not by way of limitation, since various changes therein may be made by those skilled in the art Without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

In accomplishing the above objects it has been found most satisfactory to form a swinging vane of a single sheet of metal with location of the hinge structure substantially below the center of gravity and substantially above the geometrical structure of the swinging vane.

A further important feature of the present invention resides in the fact that the hinge structure desirably consists of stud elements which are fixed and have reduced diameter projections fitting into relatively large openings in rearwardly directed flange portions of the vane structure.

In one form of the invention the entire fixed hinge stud may be peened in position in a side bracket or U shape structure alongside of the swinging vane. This same side bracket structure will also be provided with outstanding tabs which will limit the forward and backward movement of the vane as it moves either to a nondraft position or maximum draf position. Where, however, it is desired to use a hardened metal pivot this metal pivot is carried by a soft metal member of steel which in turn is peened in position in the side structure with the hardened metal element having a forced fit or roughened fit in a recess in the relatively soft metal holder which is fixed to the side structure.

An important feature in the present invention resides in the draft adjustment. The draft adjustment preferably consists of an elongated threaded rod or tube, the ends of which are provided with weighted members.

Desirably, the weighted members are fixed in position at the ends of the rod and adjustment is then achieved by screwing the member back and forth through a nut States Fatent C F 2,990,118 Patented June 27, 1961 ice which is permanently mounted upon the lower portion of the swinging vane substantially below the hinge point and substantially below both the center of gravity and the geometrical center of the vane. The portion of the vane which carries the elongated threaded rod is desirably inclined or formed out of the lower portion of the swinging vane so that the rod will extend at an angle of between l(l-30 forwardly and downwardly from the front of the vane. Usually both weights, forward and rear, are locked in position at the ends of the threaded rod with the front weight having a knurled portion enabling the threaded member to be turned, to adjust both weights forwardly or rearwardly as the case may be. The weights may then be locked in position by means of a lock nut after the draft adjustment has been regulated.

In an alternative embodiment, one of the weighted members may have a special insert which will enable a permanent setting at the front end of the threaded adjustment rod while the movement of the rod forwardly and backwardly in respect to the door will give the in use adjustments by the repair man or service man. In this last mentioned embodiment, one of the weights, and preferably a forward weight, is hollowed out. In this hollowed out portion there is inserted an auxiliary smaller weight which will adjust the position of the center of gravity of the front Weight in respect to the vane.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter more specifically described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to which fall Within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of the draft regulator showing one form of vane hinge and adjustable weight construction;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view upon the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 2a is a fragmentary transverse sectional view upon the line 2a2a of FIGURE 2, showing the clinch nut as positioned upon the vane for carrying the weight adjustment;

FIGURE 3 is an alternative form of draft adjustment in longitudinal section upon an enlarged scale as compared to FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of the hinge structure wherein a relatively soft metal bearing stud is employed and locked in position upon an enlarged scale as compared to FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is a transverse sectional view similar to FIGURE 4, illustrating a hardened pin member assembled with a relatively soft metal cylindrical carrier which is peened in position.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, there is shown a thimble structure A which carries the draft regulator cylindrical frame B.

Within the frame B is hingedly carried the swinging vane C which is provided with the hinge structure D and the adjustable weight or draft regulator structure E.

An alternative adjustable weight structure is shown in FIGURE 3 while an alternative hinge structure G is shown in FIGURE 5.

Referring to FIGURE 2 the thimble A consists of a cylindrical sheet metal sleeve 10 having a cut-out 11 to fit a main flue or conduit. The cylindrical frame member B has the side bracket structures 12 having the inturned plates 13 which carry the U-shaped members 14 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The upper portion H of thevane carries greater weight than the lower portion I of the vane so that the geometrical center K will be lower than the center of gravity L and both will be above the hinge line M.

i From the side plates 13 there will be stamped out the tabs 15 forming a front stop, as indicated in FIG. 2, and 16 which forms the opening stop by contact with the curved edge 17 of the rearwardly turned flange 18 which extends rearwardly and perpendicularly to the plane of the vane C from the lower side edges 19 (see FIG. 1). It will be noted that the flange 18 has a relatively wide opening 20 much larger than the stud opening 21 of the bearing structure D or the hardened steel stud opening 22 of the bearing structure G. Inside of the plate 13 will be the U-shaped bracket 14 which has the side legs 23 on the edge flanges 24. The edge flanges 24 are riveted in position as indicated at 25 on the plate 13.

In the structure shown in FIG. 4 there will be a relatively large base portion 26 for the pivot stud 21 which extends through the opening 27 in the plate 13 and abuts at 28 the base of the U structure 14. The extension 29 will be peened in position at the opening 30.

At 22 in FIG. 5 is shown a hardened stud. In this connection the carrier element 31 extends at 32 through opening in the plate 13 and has a recess 33. One end of the hardened stud has a knurled or groove portion 34 by which the hardened metal pivot stud 22 may be forced in position and permanently retained within the metal unit 31.

The reduced diameter extension 35 will extend through the opening 36 and hold the stud 22 in position by riveting or peening it over.

The relatively wide opening as shown at 20 will give an automatic cleaning or wiping effect to the pivot rods 21 and 22 by reason of the tangential or line contact resulting from the greater diameter of the opening 20' in the flange 18.

This hinge structure will enable the use of either a soft metal element 21 or a hard metal element 22 depending upon the weight of the vane and the durability required during usage.

In respect to the double adjustable weight structure E the vane has a stamped-out portion 50 which will be caused to incline forwardly and upwardly at an angle of from l0-30 to the plane of a vane C when in vertical position, as shown in FIG. 2. In the opening 51 there will be clinched a tapped nut 52 to receive the threaded tube or rod 53. This threaded rod or tube 53 will carry a rear weight 54 which has tapped recess 55 jammed up onto the threaded end 56 of the adjustable rod 53.

The adjustable rod 53 will have an unthreaded stud extension 57 of reduced diameter which will jam into the unthreaded reduced diameter recess 58 in the weight 54. Normally, the weight 54 will not be adjustable once it has been fixed in position upon the rear end of the threaded rod 53.

The forward weight 59 will have a knurled outer pcripheral portion 60 to enable the entire weight adjustment unit to be grasped and the threaded rod 53 to be rotated in the clinched nut 52. The weight 59' has a threaded or tapped recess 61 and a smaller diameter unthreaded recess '62 and a small through passage 63.

The threaded rod 53 will have a threaded end portion 64, a reduced diameter portion 65 and a stud which is peened over as indicated at 67, locking the assembly in position.

By loosening the lock nut 68 it is possible to adjust the rod 53 by grasping the knurled or serrated portion 60 and then the lock nut 68 may be tightened up again.

Referring to FIG. 2a it will be noted that the side edges of the clinched nut 52 extend beyond the opening 51 so that they may be clinched into the oblique portion 50 outof the face of the door.

In the alternative form of adjustable Weight structure as shown in FIG. 3, the threaded rod or tube 53 and the rear weight 54 are of the same construction as already described in connection with FIGURE 2. The clinched nut will also be of the same construction as shown in FIG- URE 2a. The forward weight 80, however, will be of different construction. The forward weight has a tapped recess 81 for receiving the tapped end portion 82 of the threaded rod 53 but it will also have a recess 83 for receiving the auxiliary smaller weight or nut member 84. The auxiliary nut member '84 has a tapped recess terminating in an unthreaded reduced diameter recess 86. This auxiliary smaller weight or nut 84 may be screwed in different positions on the threaded end 82 of the rod 53 inside of the recess 83 of the weight 80. This is accomplished by either driving the unthreaded end portion 85 home into the recess 86 or leaving a space at the bottom of the recess 86. Then, the weight 80 may be adjusted in position on the threaded portion 82 and then locked in this adjusted position by means of the nut 87. This will give a preliminary adjustment and then the usual draft adjustment follows by grasping the knurled portion 88 on the exterior of the weight 80 through the clinched nut 52 which is then locked in position by the locked nut 68. The applicant in this manner provides an auxiliary preliminary setting off for the double adjustment as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, which gives a greater range of draft adjustment.

It is thus apparent that the present applicant has provided a durable hinge structure which in combination with an adjustable draft regulation structure will enable Wide adaptability of the regulator.

The hinge structure with either a soft hinge stud or a hard hinge stud Wil be self-cleaning and the weight of the vane will always be correctly balanced on the hinge line substantially below both the center of gravity and the geometrical center of the vane.

The weight adjustment being far below the hinge line and also below the center of gravity in the geometrical center by at least one-fourth to one-third of the total height of the vane, will give a wide range of adjustment.

While there has been herein described a preferred form of the invention, it should be understood that the same may be altered in details and in relative arrangement of parts within the scope of the appended claims.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed:

What is claimed is:

l. A draft regulator construction comprising a vertical circular frame having a cylindrical sleeve and inwardly extending, hinge carrying, bracket portions intermediately positioned of the height of the frame, a circular, swinging, flat, metal vane having cut out side portions at said bracket portions and provided with hinge connections to said bracket portions, a double weighted threaded rod, including threaded ends, extending obliquely through the lower part of the vane below thehinge connections, said rod having threaded forward and rear weights, the forward weight consisting of an outer cup shaped weight element having a central cup recess opening on the forward end face of the forward weight and an inside pluglike weight element telescoping into and out of said cup, said threaded ends of said rod and the threads of said weights connecting said weights to said rod enabling adjustment of the weights, said plug-like weight element and said forward Weight element having threaded bores extending axially therethrough and the forward threaded end of said threaded rod being threaded into said bores, and the end of the plug-like Weight having an outstanding flange limiting its insertion into the cup recess.

2. A draft regulator of the type having a cylindrical mounting frame therein, said frame having inturned pivot mounting brackets at the lower side portions thereof extending inwardly from the sides thereof and a vane having indented, recessed, lower side portions to conform to .said

brackets; the combination therewith of a front and back balancing means having a threaded rod extending obliquely downwardly forwardly through the vane, a tapped mounting member attached to said vane and carrying said threaded rod, a rear cylindrical weight on the rear inside end of the rod and a forward double telescoping weight comprised of a main, outside, forwardly open, cup shaped weight having a central cup recess at its forward end opening in its forward end face and an inside, smaller, cylindrical weight telescoping into said open cup shaped weight, said inside and outside weights being threaded onto the outer lower end of the rod and the outside weight being fixed in position by a lock nut and said inside weight being adjustable in respect to said outside weight on the forward end of said threaded rod to change the position of the center of gravity of said forward weight.

3. A draft regulator having a horizontal cylindrical sleeve serving as a mounting structure with a front end and a rear end, a swinging circular vane mounted in the front end of said sleeve, said vane having a narrowed lower portion with vertical parallel side edges and having gravity and geometrical center points and side pivot mounts at said narrowed portion below the center points, the lower part of the vane carrying a weighted threaded balancing rod obliquely extending through the narrowed part of the vane below the center points and pivot mounts and inclined downwardly below the horizontal at the front end, said rod having one weight threaded thereon at its rear end and two telescoping separable weights threaded thereon at its forward end and locking nuts to lock the separable weights in position in respect to each other and to lock said threaded rod in position in respect to the vane, said separable weights consisting of a large outside Weight with a cylindrical recess at its forward end and an inside small cylindrical weight closely fitting into said recess and having an enlarged lip at its front end to limit its insertion into said recess, said small weight having a tapped recess on its rear end to receive the front end of the rod and both the large front weight and the rear weight having tapped axial recesses to receive the ends of the threaded rod and to permit adjustment thereon.

4. The regulator of claim 3, said vane having an obliquely bent portion and a threaded sleeve carrying said threaded rod.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,236,686 Dodge Aug. 14, 1917 2,346,559 Crew Apr. 11, 1944 2,405,770 Walker Aug. 13, 1946 2,538,190 Crew Ian. 16, 1951 2,624,513 Field Jan. 6, 1953' 2,806,653 Ziph Sept. 17, 1957 2,840,317 Kozak June 24, 1958 

